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WOOLWORTH’S LUNCH COUNTER IN HISTORY PART 2
YESTERDAY WE CELEBRATED FOUR COLLEGE STUDENTS who wanted nothing more than cups of coffee. These brave young men were part of the civil rights movement, an era that’s on-going to this day.
Countering Trump’s Revisionist History. Sari Beth Rosenberg (“Yo, Miss!”) writes in April 25, 2025, “Executive Order 14253 ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History’ has sparked a great deal of worry. Many fear the erasure or distortion of critical historical events, including the Greensboro Sit-In. However, it is crucial that we remain accurate and vigilant in our reporting. In this case, the reporting on the removal of the Greensboro Sit-In counter was mistaken.”
Where History is Preserved. Rosenberg cites, “While the actual lunch counter from the Greensboro Sit-In is not displayed at the NMAAHC [Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture] , it now resides in three places where its legacy lives on:”
“The International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina,” she describes, “occupies the original site of the Woolworth’s store, where visitors can see a restored portion of the lunch counter and learn about this pivotal moment in history.”
Image from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
“A portion of the counter,” Rosenberg continues, is also on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Here is a link to images from the exhibit. The Greensboro History Museum also houses a six-seat section of the original lunch counter.“
Rosenberg concludes, “In conclusion, in times of uncertainty, it’s crucial that we stay committed to accurate reporting. This ensures that the truth of our history—like the story of the Greensboro Sit-In—remains intact for future generations.”
The Smithsonian Concurs. In its website item “Greensboro Lunch Counter,” the Smithsonian now includes a Director’s Statement, April 28, 2025, from Anthea M. Hartig:
Image from americanhistory.si.edu.
Alas, Trump’s striving to eliminate “improper ideology” has yet to be settled by the Congress or the Supreme Court. And, if necessary, by national outcry.
A Bakersfield Lunch Counter. Smithsonian magazine notes, “The last operating lunch counter, in Bakersfield, California, no longer owned by Woolworth, closed in 2022. However, this month, that counter in Bakersfield [seen below in the 1990s] is reopening serving hot meals again, after renovations by husband-and-wife owners Emily and Sherod Whaite, who have installed images of historic sit-ins above the luncheonette, as well as landmark pieces of artists of color from the 1930s and today.”
Image from Smithsonian Magazine.
The next time I’m in Bakersfield, just up the 5 from here, I’m in for cubed minute steak, pan gravy and buttered beets with a roll and French fries. The significance of this meal is priceless. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays, 2025
Simanaitis Says 
There were Woolworth’s all over SF when I was a kid. Was the end of an era when they all closed.
We occasionally (rarely) would stop for ice cream at the one at Powell & Market (in the Flood Building) when on shopping trips to the Emporium (now the troubled (mostly vacant) SF Centre shopping complex), either by streetcar/bus or, after the 5th & Mission garage was built, in Mom’s Taxi. Mom usually had the store deliver purchases (maybe as much as 7 miles in SF? Which even in the 1950s could take more than an hour to drive…) by UPS. Once the 5th & Mission garage opened, Mom’s Taxi became the rule and Woolworth’s stops become very rare (garage was south of Market so we used the back door on Jessie St. rather than the front door on Market).
So where, exactly and what name is this Bakersfield lunch counter ?
As a member of a blended family I’d like to go there and support it by having lunch .
TIA,
-Nate
Several Google responses talk about it. One says it’s at the corner of 19th and K Street in downtown Bakersfield.
Thank you .
I think I found it :
· Diner
1400 19th St, Bakersfield, CA, United States, California
-Nate